The Japaneseย photographer who captured the tail of aย humpbackย whaleย calfย underwater, just below the surface and titledย itย “Mermaid,” has been namedย theย winner of the 2018 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year contest.
When Reikoย Takahashiย quit her office job to pursue underwater photography it was a gamble. But the risk has paid off, quite literally: Her shot ofย the grand prize-winning photo beat out 13,000ย entriesย andย nets the photographer $10,000.
The photo was taken nearย Kumejimaย Island, during a mission to captureย humpbackย whales and their calves.
“It was a special scene for me, to be able to take a photo of the calf, completely relaxed in gentle waters. I really cannot believe it. It was my dream to win. I amย honoredย and it will be the driving force for my future shooting,” she said in a statement.
In the category of cities, a black and whiteย photo taken from within aย vintage tram in Nagasaki, Japan that looks out onto a quiet streetscape through a rain-soaked windshield, took first prize.
The photo also captures a lone pedestrian crossing the street under an umbrella.
“This view presents quite a contrast to busy urbanย centersย in Japan, such as Tokyo and Osaka,” said winnerย Huraย Kurashina in the photo caption.
And in the category of people, Alessandraย Meniconziย took first prize for her stunningย portrait of a youngย Mongolian eagle hunter, cradling a hot steaming cup of tea during their migration from winter to spring camp.
Take a look at all the winning photosย on theย National Geographic site.